SN purity really that important?

[Kondensmilch]

I tested my SN today with these teststrips for aquariums.
-2 glasses with 500ml of water
-first glass 2,5 grams of SN
-then take 1 ml of that water and put it into the second glass

It showed that there is something between 5-10 mg per liter of SN in it.
Is that too low?
And if it is, why can't I just take more?
It would take a little bit longer for the body to absorb. Nobody could give me a reason why it has to be at least 95% purity.

 

[Life_and_Death]

And if it is, why can't I just take more?
It would take a little bit longer for the body to absorb. Nobody could give me a reason why it has to be at least 95% purity.

because if theres less your body is more likely to recover from it on its own and if you take more youre more likely to throw it up.
its the same reason OTC isnt advised

 

[Relic]

It would take a little bit longer for the body to absorb. Nobody could give me a reason why it has to be at least 95% purity.

It is to overwhelm the defenses. It's like trying to occupy the neighboring country sending one soldier at a time, or half a million. There is a difference.

 

[Kondensmilch]

It is to overwhelm the defenses. It's like trying to occupy the neighboring country sending one soldier at a time, or half a million. There is a difference.

Its not like that there is no SN in it. It just is not completely pure.

 

[Relic]

Its not like that there is no SN in it. It just is not completely pure.

The dose makes the poison. You would lose peacefulness and increase risk of failure. But yes, it would be still most likely lethal. It's just that the range given is rather big, is it more like 5 or close to 10?

 

[Kondensmilch]

The dose makes the poison. You would lose peacefulness and increase risk of failure. But yes, it would be still most likely lethal. It's just that the range given is rather big, is it more like 5 or close to 10?

I would say 7

 

[strangelife]

I tested my SN today with these teststrips for aquariums.
-2 glasses with 500ml of water
-first glass 2,5 grams of SN
-then take 1 ml of that water and put it into the second glass

It showed that there is something between 5-10 mg per liter of SN in it.
Is that too low?
And if it is, why can't I just take more?
It would take a little bit longer for the body to absorb. Nobody could give me a reason why it has to be at least 95% purity.

The correct result is 10mg per liter as I understand the calculation

 

[Relic]

I would say 7

Might be in the range if NO3 is close to 0

The correct result is 10mg per liter as I understand the calculation

I used to have aquariums and did double tests from time to time. More often than not the strips and reagent tests did not match. I wanted to believe lower values when I was lazy but that did not help me sleep. Triple test, different manufacturers, or even from the same one, starting from zero every time. If they are more or less consistent, the thoughts should be out of the head for the day.

 

[Mayonaise]

As @strangelife said, you should have 10mg per liter in the testing cup. So, if the test strip result is 5 to 10 mg per liter of SN, it may still be correct, because 10mg is still in the range (although in the extreme edge).
Some member said that these strips work best when the concentration of the solution sits in the middle of the test range. Therefore, if your test strip range stops at 10mg/L the reading may not be as accurate.
Before doing another test, would you post a picture of your result pad? I mean the part of the label with the reference colors. I'm no expert but I would be happy to help you

 

[Kondensmilch]

Ok in the second picture the result looks more like a 5 but I had other results where it was more like 7.

@h.s.p.

 

[Relic]

My result, 5-6mg/l, weighed directly. The display on the scale fluctuated between 5 and 6, but fuck it, this isn't exactly a science.
My sample is four and a half years old.

 

[Aim]

Very much.

 

[Kondensmilch]

My result, 5-6mg/l, weighed directly. The display on the scale fluctuated between 5 and 6, but fuck it, this isn't exactly a science.
My sample is four and a half years old.
View attachment 130115

Looks good

 

[Relic]

Looks good

Considering the circumstances, I think it does. I was kind of careless with it. The bottle did not have a glued seal, but I wanted to test it anyway, and had some uses for it. When I stored it, I dipped the cap, but that turned out sloppy. Only three layers and there were gaps that I did not see at the time.
Still survived almost intact.

 

[Deleted member 65988]

Considering the circumstances, I think it does. I was kind of careless with it. The bottle did not have a glued seal, but I wanted to test it anyway, and had some uses for it. When I stored it, I dipped the cap, but that turned out sloppy. Only three layers and there were gaps that I did not see at the time.
Still survived almost intact.

So you're sn after almost 5 years and being careless with it still proved to be good enough. If nothing else, this prove SNs durability and for people to stop being so worried over it losing purity.

 

[Relic]

So you're sn after almost 5 years and being careless with it still proved to be good enough. If nothing else, this prove SNs durability and for people to stop being so worried over it losing purity.

That's what it looks like. Cap still needs to sit tight on the bottle, if that requirement is fulfilled, it seems to be stable enough.

 

[Deleted member 65988]

That's what it looks like. Cap still needs to sit tight on the bottle, if that requirement is fulfilled, it seems to be stable enough.

That's what the chemical supplier told me, sealing it tightly with the bottle cap should be what will keep it stable for longer.

 

[Relic]

Ok in the second picture the result looks more like a 5 but I had other results where it was more like 7.

What is the purity stated by the seller? If you are up to it, maybe do two separate tests, for 5mg's and for 10mg's and compare the results.

 

[Kondensmilch]

What is the purity stated by the seller? If you are up to it, maybe do two separate tests, for 5mg's and for 10mg's and compare the results.

They said it is 99% purity.

 

[Relic]

They said it is 99% purity.

Looks like we have strips from the same manufacturer, but the results are a bit different. Saturation of the pads is higher while wet. After it dried, the indicator was quite close to 5mg/l.

 

[Kondensmilch]

Looks like we have strips from the same manufacturer, but the results are a bit different. Saturation of the pads is higher while wet. After it dried, the indicator was quite close to 5mg/l.

They say you have to wait 60 seconds.
I don't think it dried after 60 seconds.

 

[Praestat_Mori]

Clarifying sth about "purity" 95% for example. That means if you take 100g of 95% pure SN it contains 95g SN while the rest could be other salts like table salt and other impurities. If you take 25g of 95% pure SN it still should be sufficient to kill you. If you have much less purity then you'd have to increase the amount of 25g of that impure salt-mix and that would increase the chance of vomiting most likely. I hope that explains "purity" and its importance.

 

[Relic]

They say you have to wait 60 seconds.
I don't think it dried after 60 seconds.

60 seconds is to give the pad time to fully react with chemicals in the water. It's the minimum, not maximum. The strip is dry in about 30 to 60 minutes and stabilized. For my test, what broke down and changed state were the pH and KH pads, the others were stable.

 

[Mayonaise]

Ok in the second picture the result looks more like a 5 but I had other results where it was more like 7.
View attachment 130114
@h.s.p.

According to what you did it should look much more like a 10 than like a 5. But you have to consider that these strips might not be that much accurate.
I read a bunch of reviews of different strip brands and many people complain about them not being reliable enough - it looks like the reagent testing kits (the ones that use tiny little reagent bottles instead of strips) are much more accurate. Besides, your strips have a very limited result range - it's basically 5 and 10, and there's a huge gap between these values that's not shown in the result.
Here's what I'd do if I were you: try running a test aiming for a 5, using exactly half the SN you used previously (you used 2.5g so try using 1.25g - if your scale is not that sensitive use 1.5g). Post the result here, if it is similar to the previous pics then you should be good.
Also, is your SN lab-grade?

 

[Relic]

I read a bunch of reviews of different strip brands and many people complain about them not being reliable enough

That brand has had their fair share of scandals in the past, but their tests seem to be fine. Not great but good enough.

Besides, your strips have a very limited result range - it's basically 5 and 10, and there's a huge gap between these values that's not shown in the result.

Should be an acceptable range for that kind of test. I had an option to get a reagent test, but I remember from my aquarium days that interpreting this result has a bit higher element of wishful thinking in it. The more accurate tests also leave much less room for user error.

What this test gives is a general idea. If it is advertised as 99%, it should test fairly high. If it tests lower with high nitrates, it could have been stored wrong, and if it tests low with also low nitrates, it may have been messed with.

 

[Kondensmilch]

That brand has had their fair share of scandals in the past, but their tests seem to be fine. Not great but good enough.


Should be an acceptable range for that kind of test. I had an option to get a reagent test, but I remember from my aquarium days that interpreting this result has a bit higher element of wishful thinking in it. The more accurate tests also leave much less room for user error.

What this test gives is a general idea. If it is advertised as 99%, it should test fairly high. If it tests lower with high nitrates, it could have been stored wrong, and if it tests low with also low nitrates, it may have been messed with.

But lets say its only 50% NaNO2 and the rest is NaNO3. And I take twice the amount. So it would be 40g with 100ml of water which is not much. I have read that the body converts the nitrate to nitrite anyways. Or am I wrong?

According to what you did it should look much more like a 10 than like a 5. But you have to consider that these strips might not be that much accurate.
I read a bunch of reviews of different strip brands and many people complain about them not being reliable enough - it looks like the reagent testing kits (the ones that use tiny little reagent bottles instead of strips) are much more accurate. Besides, your strips have a very limited result range - it's basically 5 and 10, and there's a huge gap between these values that's not shown in the result.
Here's what I'd do if I were you: try running a test aiming for a 5, using exactly half the SN you used previously (you used 2.5g so try using 1.25g - if your scale is not that sensitive use 1.5g). Post the result here, if it is similar to the previous pics then you should be good.
Also, is your SN lab-grade?

It is a little bit less than a 5.

 

[Mayonaise]

That brand has had their fair share of scandals in the past, but their tests seem to be fine. Not great but good enough.

My experience is limited in reading reviews from aquarium enthusiasts, and what they seem to be complaining about is not that specific brand but the reliability of the strip method itself. This brand does not seem to be worse than others

Should be an acceptable range for that kind of test. I had an option to get a reagent test, but I remember from my aquarium days that interpreting this result has a bit higher element of wishful thinking in it. The more accurate tests also leave much less room for user error.

So you have some experience with aquariums, interesting. I'm planning to order a reagent test because it seems more professional to me, but I appreciate your insight.
You know, in this kind of situations sometimes we are overly-cautious because we want some peace of mind, I'm no exception to that

But lets say its only 50% NaNO2 and the rest is NaNO3. And I take twice the amount. So it would be 40g with 100ml of water which is not much. I have read that the body converts the nitrate to nitrite anyways. Or am I wrong?

The more water you take, the more likely you are to vomit. I would not recommend 40g with 100ml of water to anyone.
More importantly, I bookmarked this post. I'm not quite convinced of the calculations the OP made, but the interesting part starts with "At first I was worried about the results".
I suggest you read it because there's an interesting explanation to why the results didn't turn out as expected. This may be your case too

It is a little bit less than a 5.

Yes, very close to 5 to me. I'd say that your SN is good enough, but @Carcass seems to be quite experienced so he/she is to be trusted more than me

 

[Kondensmilch]

My experience is limited in reading reviews from aquarium enthusiasts, and what they seem to be complaining about is not that specific brand but the reliability of the strip method itself. This brand does not seem to be worse than others


So you have some experience with aquariums, interesting. I'm planning to order a reagent test because it seems more professional to me, but I appreciate your insight.
You know, in this kind of situations sometimes we are overly-cautious because we want some peace of mind, I'm no exception to that


The more water you take, the more likely you are to vomit. I would not recommend 40g with 100ml of water to anyone.
More importantly, I bookmarked this post. I'm not quite convinced of the calculations the OP made, but the interesting part starts with "At first I was worried about the results".
I suggest you read it because there's an interesting explanation to why the results didn't turn out as expected. This may be your case too


Yes, very close to 5 to me. I'd say that your SN is good enough, but @Carcass seems to be quite experienced so he/she is to be trusted more than me

Now after an hour it dried. Now it is exactly at 5 mg/L

 

[Relic]

But lets say its only 50% NaNO2 and the rest is NaNO3.

Now after an hour it dried. Now it is exactly at 5 mg/L

Is the last test done 5 or 10mg of SN in the water? NO3 pad looks rather nice, 25 wet, I'm assuming less when dry?

I suggest you read it because there's an interesting explanation to why the results didn't turn out as expected. This may be your case too

The math becomes more important as the sensitivity of the test increases. The difference between JBL reagent test and these strips is that same "user error" and the need to compensate for it. If I have to choose between needing to consider atomic mass or compare a strip between 5 and 10, I'll choose the latter, because even that higher accuracy reagent test is not giving me a numerical value. It's giving me a range that is more specific but not much more helpful in that context.

We have the same test strips and both samples are advertised as 99%, the same chemical. What is not the same is the result, apparently. There should be no difference, or my result should look worse as my chemical has been sitting for over four years in storage.

I can't recommend buying a new sample either as long as the source remains the same, because from that point it would just become a lottery and it might give the seller a wrong idea.

 

[Kondensmilch]

Is the last test done 5 or 10mg of SN in the water? NO3 pad looks rather nice, 25 wet, I'm assuming less when dry?


The math becomes more important as the sensitivity of the test increases. The difference between JBL reagent test and these strips is that same "user error" and the need to compensate for it. If I have to choose between needing to consider atomic mass or compare a strip between 5 and 10, I'll choose the latter, because even that higher accuracy reagent test is not giving me a numerical value. It's giving me a range that is more specific but not much more helpful in that context.

We have the same test strips and both samples are advertised as 99%, the same chemical. What is not the same is the result, apparently. There should be no difference, or my result should look worse as my chemical has been sitting for over four years in storage.

I can't recommend buying a new sample either as long as the source remains the same, because from that point it would just become a lottery and it might give the seller a wrong idea.

The last test was with 1,25g of SN in 500ml water and then 1ml of that into another 500ml glass of water.
The color was darker when it was dry.